Bittersweet licorice
by CurvedYellowFruit
Summary: Okay, al I can put here...NOT IceNor/NorIce. Seriously. Don't want to say anything more.


Hey there. A quick one-shot. My latest character obsession – Norway. …okay, I play a better Norway, I swear! I just can't write as him. Roleplaying is much easier. Until you get into arguments over characters. ….yes, I argued about with this girl because she made HER Norway make Denmark eat Lego, then sit on his stomach to make it worse. Jeez, you'd be pretty peeved, too! Anyway, disclaimer…

_**DISCLAIMER – I DO NOT OWN AXIS POWERS HETALIA OR ITS CHARACTERS. I do, however, own any OCs included in any of my fanfictions.

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I sigh. What did I really have left? Yes, I still have my country, but...what is it worth? What is my country even worth anymore...?

_I smiled as I made licorice. Iceland was going to love it, I was sure! My little brother had been ill lately, and maybe some candy would cheer him up? It was his favourite, too! I nation smiled at his work. It took me forever to make nice-looking ones. I take one of the extra pieces. It felt how licorice should. Smooth, yet not too smooth. I bit into the chewy candy and spat it right back out. Urgh, how could he eat that? If I can't even eat it! I-I've been trying for a good few hours, but...it just didn't seem to happen. I sighed as I threw that batch in the bin. D-dammit, how many more hours do I need to take to make them?_

I reach into my pocket. Licorice. I eat some of it. ...it is the best licorice I've ever tasted. It's a shame...I didn't get the chance to give some to Ice.

_I put the licorice into a transparent bag. Finally, good licorice! It took a few hours to make it. But, it would be worth it when I saw the look on Iceland's face when he tried it, right? I put the small bag in my pocket. He was going to love it._

Licorice...the memories attached to it. It always makes me smile, yet cry. I will forget, I will...

_I locked the door behind me. The cold Norwegian air hit my face immediately. Suddenly, my phone went off. I looked at it. It was a text message from Denmark. I opened to message, curious as to what that idiotic nation could want this time. I almost dropped the phone in shock. My heart stopped. My blood ran cold. Bile rose up in my throat. 'Norge, get to the hospital. Ice's condition is getting worse. I don't think he's gonna make it.' the message read._

I look up to the sky, and smile. I can't help it. I just feel...happy. Very happy. But, why? I look back in front of me, and a small girl runs up to me. She seems...lost, sad. She has violet eyes and gray hair. She wears a long, tan-brown dress with a white bow on the collar, with white Mary-Janes on her tiny feet. I smile down at her, but she just clings to my leg.

"Help me!" she begs "I'm lost, I don't know who I am!"

_I ran to the hospital as fast as I could, tears stinging my eyes. It wasn't true. It wasn't happening. Iceland just had a cold. It wasn't serious! He knew all along he was dying, didn't he? Why didn't he just tell me? I'm his older brother! ...I was meant to protect him! Couldn't he trust me? I guess...I should have known. Russia's loans wouldn't last forever, and it hardly surprised me he was taking the money back by force. Ice should have said. I could have found a way to help!_

"You don't know who you are?" I ask. If this girl had amnesia, she would be in hospital, not running around the town!

"D-didn't you hear me? No! But...who are you?" she asks me, as if she had met me before. What do I do? I can't adopt a child if she does have a family, but...

_"I-Iceland!" I panicked, rushing to the side of his bed. I wiped away a tear quickly. I recognised that look in his eyes. He didn't want me to see him like this, did he?_

_"O...onii-chan..." he just smiled weakly. H-he hadn't called me by that name in years. I grabbed his hand. This was the end, wasn't it? His final moments? But...it just couldn't be! It just couldn't be!_

_"...why couldn't you tell me? I'm your brother, couldn't you trust me?" I asked him, blinking back tears. I just couldn't believe it. He was going to die with me right there...I wouldn't have it any other way. I would rather be there for him than anyone else._

_"Onii-chan, please...g-go home." the grey-haired nation pleaded. I just shook my head._

_"...no. I'm not leaving. I'm not leaving you on your own to die." I said, trying to keep my voice calm. I took the small bag out of my pocket and pressed it into his hand. I smiled at him again._

_"Thank you...p-please...don't stop eating licorice because of me. And don't be sad. Onii-chan...I'll still be there." a single tear rolled down his cheek. I hugged him gently. His breathing became slower and slower. He was tired, he was going to sleep. I kissed his cheek. He was just going to sleep. A long sleep. Slower and slower...sinking further and further. Finally, his breathing stopped. I bit my lip._

_"Goodnight, little brother. Sleep well. I love you." I said, my voice quivering. He was asleep, but he was never going to wake up._

"I am your big brother, Norway. Honestly, little sister, how could you forget?" I say. It's better to give her a place to stay for a while than leaving her. I feel bad about lying, but, it's the only way.

"S-sorry, Norway. But...what's my name?" she asks me. I-I didn't think about that!

"Your name? You should know! It's..." I think. A name. A name for this child..."Jóhanna" I nod.

"Oh, of course. H-how could I forget?" she smiled. She seems to believe it, at least. "Onii-chan, can we go home?" she asks me. O-onii-chan? Only Iceland called me that...

"Home...yes, let's go home." I ruffle her hair slightly, then grab her hand. Her hand feels so familiar. So does her hair and eye colour...she is too much like Iceland. She seems to be fine with walking home with someone she has never met in her life.

"Onii-chan...do you have any licorice?" she asks me, making my heart skip a beat.

"Yes, I do have some. Do you want some?" I ask her as she nods. I take a plastic bag out of my pocket and gave her some. She grins up at me.

"Licorice is the best candy, isn't it?" she beams, as if it was a test.

"Yes, I suppose it is. You seem to like it a lot, little sister." I note as her expression slightly altered.

"But, onii-chan...you should know I love licorice. I may just be Jóhanna, but..." she seems to be putting that pause in on purpose, as if to add effect. "I'm also Iceland. How could you forget your own younger sibling?"

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Sorry if the end is confusing. I tried to word it to the best of my ability. Right, rate and review, please? :3


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